ST JAMES, Jamaica – Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has called for international financial institutions (IFIs) to invest in ideas to build capacity for full recovery and inclusive growth in global tourism.

He was participating in a panel discussion that took stock of the state of climate finance, the role of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the private sector, and looked ahead to the next major climate summit COP28, under the theme, “Paris Agreement: Progress or Prevarification?”.

The panel was part of the 2023 Global Inclusive Growth Summit, which took place on Thursday in Washington DC, United States.

“The growth, development and expansion of the tourism product quite often threaten environmental sustainability. Admittedly, among other resources, the hospitality industry uses substantial amounts of energy for providing comfort and services to its guests, typically with a low level of energy efficiency,” Bartlett argued.

With concerns about sustainability and social inclusion gaining traction, Bartlett said the concept of sustainable tourism had emerged as a way to balance the economic, social and environmental aspects of the industry because of its close linkages to other sectors and its ability to create decent jobs and generate trade opportunities.

“A key aspect of tourism resilience is socio-economic resilience, which entails maximising the tourism sector’s ability to promote social inclusion, economic diversification, and community engagement in tourism development. Sustainable tourism should contribute to poverty reduction, social cohesion and local community well-being, and reduce inequality and marginalisation,” Bartlett said.

Since Tuesday, Bartlett has been in Washington DC for a series of high-level meetings with international organisations and tourism partners.

Foremost on minister Bartlett’s compact itinerary is his participation in the 5th Special Meeting of the OAS Inter-American Committee on Tourism (CITUR), which he chairs. CITUR is the most prestigious tourism body in the Americas. It lends continuity to dialogue on partnerships for development in tourism, follows up on the mandates issued at the ministerial level, and identifies multilateral cooperation initiatives.